Perdomo ESV '91 Epicure natural

[Ringo]

A couple of years back I reviewed a Perdomo Champagne torpedo that I did not like. It was bland, and never turned the corner. I gave it something like an 81/100. I felt bad afterwards. Some people were insulted, although they did not work for Perdomo. However even Perdomo wrote, and apologized and sent me some more Champagnes to try. I felt like an ass! I had previously reviewed Perdomo cigars and liked them, this too was noted when Perdomo wrote (not Nick Perdomo, I mean a representative from Perdomo). He knew that I liked Perdomo as a whole. And I do! Ever since those old box pressed La Tradicions in the mid 90's that tasted great but would not burn worth a $%^&! Well they got all those burn issues straightened out long ago and today they make some of my favorite cigars. But the upshot of all of that was that I would never review a cigar that I didn't like again. I do not enjoy hurting people's feelings.

No need to worry about that here, though. Now although I am primarily a smoker of full-flavored cigars, I like to have some milder ones around for when it all becomes too much and I need to mellow it out. The trouble with that is that many mild cigars are mild and that's all they have going for them. There is nothing going on, nothing to hold the interest. They are mild at the expense of everything else. So when I come across a good one I make note of it, and the Perdomo ESV '91 is such a cigar.

First of all it is beautiful to behold. It is graced with one of the smoothest wrappers that I have ever seen on a cigar, and it feels as smooth as it looks. The light creamy golden color of the wrapper was complemented by the attractive label. I took a minute to simply appreciate the good looks and construction of this cigar before lighting. At first there was not much happening, but that means nothing as mild cigars typically start out slow. At this point in any mild cigar I am watching out for any bad notes and not expecting anything to assert itself yet; the Perdomo was performing flawlessly so far. It could still go either way at this point, and I was wondering which way it would go and hoping for the best. But there was no need to worry - by the halfway point I was getting something that is very hard to find - mild cigar flavor. The complete absence of any harshness was in this case balanced by a smooth, creamy, and undoubtedly flavorful tobacco that continued to get more pronounced as the smoke went on but never bitter or harsh. It's a hard job to pull off but the ESV '91 managed it brilliantly. As far as the burn, there is nothing to report. As in, that's a good thing. Light it and enjoy!

I would recommend this cigar to anyone. Novice, veteran, and all points in between can enjoy this cigar. I will definitely pick some more of these up to keep on hand for myself to enjoy, and for guests who may not like the full flavored cigars that populate most of my humidor. Rating 90/100